The No Fun League has struck again. NBC Sports’ Mike Florio reports that the NFL has fined New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr a staggering $14,000 for his Michael Jackson dance-inspired touchdown celebration against the Dallas Cowboys last week. Florio noted that Carr was not penalized during the game.
Carr’s teammates loved it, but the league office in New York had a more mixed reception. Players grabbing their crotches have been fined before (notably Marshawn Lynch, who used that celebration against the Saints in the playoffs) but NFL Network has used those same gestures for promotional advertising on highlight reels. The late “King of Pop” even performed at the Super Bowl with his signature choreography.
But it cost Carr $14,000. The NFL has found a way to have their cake and eat it, too. Because Carr restructured his contract this offseason to play on a veteran minimum salary in exchange for receiving a hefty signing bonus, he’s only getting $71,176 in weekly game checks during the season. So about a fifth of his Week 2 paycheck is going to cover this fine. That’s an expensive dance move. If the tradeoff is Carr keeps leading the offense to 40-point scoring outputs, though? He’ll have cause to celebrate.
